Accidents and Safety

News about Accidents and Safety, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 22, 2015

Fire that killed seven siblings in Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Midwood, Brooklyn, has raised concerns over common practice of leaving meal warming overnight on hotplate ahead of Sabbath as means of skirting day's restrictions on work; fire was begun by malfunctioning hotplate. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Tram Thuy Nguyen is killed after being struck by falling plywood on West 12th Street in Manhattan; plywood had been blown off security fence surrounding Greenwich Lane condominium construction site; Nguyen had only recently arrived in New York to be closer to her fiancee, and was pursuing career in real estate. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column observes that New York's Fire, Buildings and City Planning Depts are all writing rules to govern occupant-evacuation elevators, which are meant to move people down quickly in emergency; measures would upend decades of codes and practices based on idea that elevators are perilous in fires and other emergencies; shift was in part inspired by lives saved by elevators during Sept 11 attacks. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

At least six people are killed in Bangladesh when roof of cement factory collapses in southwestern city Mongla; rescue workers save about 40 people, but as many as 70 remain trapped. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

The Upshot; study led by Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at University of Washington and published in journal The Lancet finds that accidents were responsible for 3.5 million deaths worldwide in 2013, outstripped only by heart disease and stroke; study shows considerable variation in deaths tied to specific types of accidents across different countries, offering hope that preventive strategies may reduce toll. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Twenty-two marines and sailors are injured at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif, after vehicle's fire-extinguisher system goes off during training exercise. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Occupational Safety and Health Administration charges furniture maker Ashley Furniture with unsafe conditions at its plant in Arcadia, Wis, that caused more than 1,000 injuries; company faces $1.7 million in fines. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

National Transportation Safety Board issues more than two dozen safety recommendations for the natural gas pipeline industry, criticizing systemic weakness in how providers maintain largest pipelines in networks. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Some users of legal marijuana in Colorado and other states, in attempting to make homemade hash oil, are accidentally blowing up their houses and lighting themselves on fire; cities are attempting to crack down on hash-oil extraction and lawmakers are pondering outlawing it. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Investigation into death of 7-year-old boy Brendan Jordan at Berkley Street Elementary School in New Milford, NJ, concludes that bench that fell from wall and struck him was not securely fastened. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Section of guardrail dislodges from hoist at top of construction site at 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan, falling 81 stories to ground; incident results in stop-work order at building, arguably New York City's tallest; no one is injured in accident. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

Seven-year-old Brendan Jordan dies at Berkley Street Elementary School in New Milford, NJ, after bench that was affixed to gymnasium wall falls and strikes him in head. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Mine Safety and Health Admin says nation’s coal mines set a record for the lowest number of on-the-job fatalities in 2014, with 16. MORE

Jan. 1, 2015

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces creation of position of chief of laboratory safety in response to series of lab accidents, most recent of which might have exposed scientist to Ebola virus. MORE

Dec. 31, 2014

Veronica Jean Rutledge is accidentally shot dead by her two-year-old son in Idaho Walmart; authorities say toddler found loaded gun in Rutledge's purse and it discharged once. MORE

Dec. 25, 2014

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that one of its high-security labs accidentally sent wrong samples of Ebola, possibly containing live virus, to another lab and may have exposed technician to disease; employee will be monitored for signs of infection for 21 days, with no risk to public; accident, latest incident where CDC has mishandled dangerous samples, is destroying confidence in the agency. MORE

Dec. 20, 2014

Country music duo Sugarland, concert promoter Live Nation and 16 other defendants agree to pay $39 million to settle claims from 2011 Indiana State Fair stage collapse that killed seven people and injured nearly 100 others. MORE

Dec. 17, 2014

Aleim Perkins of Harlem dies after being accidently hit in face with tire swing in Tompkins Square Park. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

The victim of a cycling accident found that his body shielded him from much of the pain. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Indictment of Massey Energy chief executive Donald L Blankenship over 29 deaths in Upper Big Branch mine disaster marks turning point in long history of de facto criminal immunity for coal barons; legal experts note that mine managers have been protected by politicians, courts and their economic influence for more than a century in the coal country of West Virgina. MORE

Nov. 29, 2014

Construction worker Delfino Jesus Velazquez Mendizabal dies after being trapped by part of a concrete ceiling that fell inside the Dana Ford Lincoln dealership in Staten Island; company doing interior work, Formica Construction Inc, was involved in a previous fatal accident. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Federal and state agencies begin investigation into toxic gas leak at DuPont chemical plant in La Porte, Tex, that killed four workers; air quality monitoring in area does not show elevated levels of the deadly methyl mercaptan gas beyond the plant. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Donald L Blankenship, former chief executive of Massey Energy Company, is charged in 43-page indictment with widespread criminal violations of mining safety rules and deceiving federal inspectors; firm was involved in nation's worst coal mine disaster in 40 years, in which 29 men died in explosion at Upper Big Branch mine near Montcoal, W Va, in 2010; Blankenship faces a maximum of 31 years in prison. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Accident involving two window washers on scaffolding at 1 World Trade Center has raised question of why skyscraper windows are not cleaned entirely by robots; answer from several experts is that humans do better job and that equipment for lowering workers down sides of buildings is necessary for other jobs as well. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

New York City firefighters safely rescue window washers Juan Lizama and Juan Lopez from a dangling scaffold outside the 69th floor of 1 World Trade Center; experts blame equipment failure for the accident. MORE

Nov. 4, 2014

Man in Jersey City is killed in freakish accident when he is struck in the head by a one-pound tape measure after it fell some 400 feet from building under construction. MORE

Nov. 4, 2014

Two recent accidents involving commercial rockets, one of them fatal, have underscored the high risks and soaring costs involved in any spaceflight; unrelated accidents involving Virgin Galactic space plan and Orbital Sciences rocket explosion are stark reminders that path to space is just as arduous for private companies as it is for government-funded programs. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about divulging a friend has AIDS in order to protect their honor, whether a school is responsible for out-of-pocket medical costs of child injured on playground and paying for no-show fee charged by friend's vet because one's dog scared away the friend's cat. MORE

Nov. 1, 2014

SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Galactic rocket plane meant to take tourists on short rides to space, crashes in Mojave Desert during test flight; one pilot parachutes to safety and other is killed in what is second major accident in a week for commercial space industry. MORE

Oct. 30, 2014

Turkey's Pres Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancels Republic Day celebrations at presidential palace to meet with relatives of 18 people trapped in coal mine in Anatolia. MORE

Oct. 30, 2014

Energy Department says February plutonium waste accident at New Mexico repository will cost at least $551 million to clean up before site can be reopened; chemical reaction came as blow to country's efforts to clean up old nuclear weapons manufacturing sites and has forced government to take extraordinary measures to prevent repetition. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Unmanned cargo rocket carrying supplies to International Space Station explodes seconds after its launch in Virginia; rocket maker Orbital Sciences Corp will lead investigation and suspend launches until problem is identified and corrected. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

South Korean man involved in planning outdoor pop concert where 16 people were killed after falling through ventilation grate is found dead in apparent suicide. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Ventilation grate caves in at outdoor concert in South Korea, killing at least 14 and injuring 10 people who were standing on the raised platform and plunged 66 feet to surface below. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Two large groups of retailers and apparel brands complete major step toward advancing garment-factory safety in Bangladesh by inspecting nearly 1,700 garment factories in country; uncover safety violations ranging from minor to dangerous, and ask that 41 factories be temporarily closed. MORE

Sep. 24, 2014

Concrete slab weighing thousands of pounds crashes to ground at Midtown Manhattan construction site, trapping and killing construction worker Rodalfo Vasquez-Galian; cause of accident is not immediately clear but New York City Buildings Department commissioner Rick Chandler said excavation 'compromised foundation' of neighboring building. MORE

Sep. 20, 2014

Alfredo Thiebaud, founder of Delicioso Coco Helado, which has sold tropical-flavored ices from pushcarts in the South Bronx since the 1970s, dies after being crushed by an electric metal gate at his factory; Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr pays tribute to Thiebaud at impromptu memorial, saying vendor's faith in the Bronx had helped revitalize a decaying neighborhood. MORE

Sep. 12, 2014

Grupo Mexico, mining conglomerate in Mexico, will set up $151 million trust to pay for damage caused when one of its mines spilled acid-laced copper sulfate and heavy metals into two rivers in northern Mexico on Aug 7. MORE

Sep. 11, 2014

Consumer Product Safety Commission cites death of 19-month-old child Annaka Chaffin during hearing to discuss potential new rules governing high-powered magnets, which agency believes pose special risk to children; Chaffin died after magnets in her stomach cut off blood supply to her stomach. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Apple faces new accusations of violations of labor rights and workplace safety at one of its Chinese suppliers; investigations by Green America and China Labor Watch found that employees at factory owned by Catcher Technology in eastern China are made to work excessive overtime and handle toxic chemicals without proper protective clothing. MORE

Aug. 31, 2014

Rescuers in Nicaragua save 22 of at least 26 workers trapped in a mine collapse as rescue effort continues. MORE

Aug. 31, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Gregory Orr describes returning to memory of killing his younger brother in hunting accident after reading about New Jersey girl who lost control of submachine gun at shooting range in Las Vegas, killing her instructor; expresses hope that the young girl has someone she can turn to who can give her the courage to endure her grief and guilt. MORE

Aug. 29, 2014

Editorial expresses horror at death of shooting instructor after 9-year-old girl lost control of Uzi submachine gun at shooting range in Arizona; laments that death will likely not lead to any sensible gun control policies. MORE

Aug. 26, 2014

New York City police say Cindy Yeh, 23-year-old intern at Museum of Modern Art, died after falling off a roof during party in Greenwich Village. MORE

Aug. 23, 2014

Op-Ed article by Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairman of United States Chemical Safety Board, contends that tiny metal particles and metal dust can ignite, leading to accidents like the recent factory explosion in China that killed 75 people; says these dust explosions are readily preventable with engineering controls, ventilation, training and other measures. MORE